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Music
Learn to play harmonica in a Flash
By Paul Ridden
15:00 November 6, 2009 PST
A music teacher from Riverside Illinois has come up with a Flash drive design that's more novel than novelty. Possibly one of the most portable instrument around - the harmonica - and the most portable digital storage solution have been merged into one to produce the FlashHarp. Read More
The Wall of Sound: the world's most powerful iPod dock unleashed
By Paul Ridden
02:51 November 5, 2009 PST
In a world where miniaturization rules the roost, it's refreshing to see some things getting bigger and bigger. Just last week we featured Regen's enormous ReVerb iPod dock which stands tall and slim at 35 inches (90cm). Now from Sweden comes the colossal 37.5 x 49 x 12 inch (95cm x 125cm x 30cm) "Wall of Sound", which can boom out 125 Watts of ground-shaking, tube-driven audio from its 28 speakers. Read More
Google rolls out new music search
By Paul Ridden
16:12 November 3, 2009 PST
Google latest innovation has taken the power of its search engine and our insatiable lust for music and combined the two. Those lucky enough to live Stateside can now enter an artist, song title or lyric into Google's normal search window and the first results offered will link to audio previews, information and details of how to buy. Read More
ReVerb's 3-foot tall, solar powered iPod dock
By Paul Ridden
19:09 October 29, 2009 PDT
Of the myriad of iPod docking stations available, the ReVerb iPod dock from Regen looks set to tower above the rest - literally. At just over 35 inches (90cm) in height, this dock is not going to fit on your bedside cabinet. It will kick out an equivalent of a room-filling 60 watts, includes a backlit LCD display and features an integrated photovoltaic panel to draw energy from the sun. Read More
Sonos introduces the all-in-one Zoneplayer S5 music system
By Paul Ridden
18:15 October 14, 2009 PDT
Sonos is shortly to add a powerful new member to its digital music streaming family in the shape of the ZonePlayer S5. This new all-in-one device can be controlled by iPhone or a Sonos controller, supports numerous audio formats, offers free access to thousands of online music services and benefits from each audio driver being powered by its own amplifier. Read More
Green Power's sliding speaker solution for iPod
By Paul Lester
14:41 October 12, 2009 PDT
Though most multimedia phones tend to have external speakers for, albeit meagerly, pumping out tunes for other people’s benefit, they tend to be less common on MP3 players as companies prioritize slim and pocket-friendly designs. The most notable "hybrid" to take a chance in this market is Samsung’s K5, which offers a clever slide-out design to keep things relatively compact while allowing for the widest possible stereo image. This approach has now been aped by Korean company Green Power as a solution for the iPod. Read More
Austrian composer simulates speech using... A piano?
By Loz Blain
23:54 October 7, 2009 PDT
Remember back in the 80s when Steve Vai used to make his guitar "talk" to David Lee Roth? That video clip is here, but be warned, Roth's bare butt peeking through the holes in his leather chaps is one of the LEAST offensive things in the clip. It seems things have become more refined in the last 20-odd years. This fascinating clip shows how Austrian composer Peter Ablinger has programmed a mechanically-actuated piano to reproduce recorded human speech. And yes, you can somehow understand it. Read More
Take your iPod nano videos to a wider audience with the VideoBuddy AV out adapter
By Darren Quick
18:27 October 7, 2009 PDT
Owners of the new iPod nano 5G will no doubt be racking up hours of video footage by now and looking to inflict - I mean, share - their videos with all and sundry. While the nano’s 2.2-inch display might be ok “on the set”, nothing beats a TV to demand everyone’s attention. If you don’t have Apple TV, or don’t want to waste time turning on your computer to go through iTunes lest your audience disappear, GEAR4 have the perfect solution in the form of the VideoBuddy – a compact Audio Video (AV) kit that connects to the iPod nano dock connector and links to a TV via an RCA cable. Read More
iNudge - try out this free, online music sequencing widget
By Loz Blain
08:22 September 24, 2009 PDT
More than a little reminiscent of Yamaha's bizarre Tenori-On, iNudge is a free online composition and sequencing tool that takes all the pesky music training out of making music. Playing with its neat grid interface, anyone can come up with funky little beats and make quirky electro tunes. It's a product of an age where musical talent can be completely divorced from the ability to manipulate strings, wind or membranes to get a desired sound - and it's a lot of fun. Have a try right here in your browser window, just click through. Read More
My Phones volume-reducing headphones for kids
By Jude Garvey
21:54 September 23, 2009 PDT
There’s something about seeing ear buds in young ears that makes me nervous - not just because of concerns about damage to the ear canal, but also because there’s no way of telling how high the volume is turned. MyPhones headphones from Griffin Technology are set to a maximum of 85 decibels - so even though you can’t always control what your kids are listening to, at least you know there won’t be long-term damage to their hearing. Read More
Video: Laser/smoke microphone promises the world's most accurate sound capture
By Loz Blain
06:41 September 23, 2009 PDT
The quest for ever more realistic sound reproduction seems set to move to a whole new level. Traditional microphones convert sound to electrical signals by measuring the deflections that sound vibrations cause in a diaphragm. But each diaphragm has its own weight, inertia and resistance, which colors the sound that gets recorded. So American digital audio pioneer David Schwartz, who invented the MP3 sound format, has come up with a novel new type of microphone that virtually eliminates the microphone's mechanical interference with the sound. The laser/smoke microphone uses a laser to measure the deflections that sound makes in a steady stream of smoke - which is virtually weightless. Prepare for a new wave of high-fidelity microphone technology. Read More
Sony's MH907 earphones automatically pause music to answer the phone
By Paul Ridden
06:14 September 23, 2009 PDT
Most mobile phones these days also feature MP3 players, allowing you to listen to your favorite music in-between calls. With Sony Ericsson's new MH907 earbuds attached to your compatible phone, all you need do to pause the music and take a call is remove them from your ears. Put one of the buds back in your ear and start your conversation. Remove again to end the conversation, then replace both buds to start the music again. No more buttons to press, simple. Read More
Tested: Sennheiser HD 800 vs beyerdynamic T1 audiophile headphones
By Tim Hanlon
06:46 September 17, 2009 PDT
At IFA earlier in the month I had the opportunity to test a pair of Sennheiser's HD 800s and beyerdynamic's newly-announced T1 headphones, neither of which are your average set of headphones. Both are their respective companies' flagship products, and represent extensive research and development, the goal of which is to reproduce the source material as accurately and naturally as possible. And they don't come cheap - starting at around $1,300 US dollars. Read More
Native Instruments announces Komplete 6 bundle for music creation
By Paul Ridden
16:06 September 13, 2009 PDT
Native Instruments has just announced a recession-busting update to its impressive arsenal of digital musical instruments and effects - Komplete 6. The bundle not only comes with improved versions of amp and effects simulator Guitar Rig, the powerful sound manipulator Absynth and over 44Gb of sampling joy in the form of Kontakt, but it's also being offered at a significantly reduced price too. Read More
iTunes 9 gets some worthy additions
By Darren Quick
00:09 September 10, 2009 PDT
Hardware wasn’t the only thing getting attention at Apple’s Rock and Roll event. Apple has also shown its all-conquering iTunes software some love with a slight makeover and a few new features. The iTunes 9 interface now includes a persistent navigation menu for improved store navigation, a full window iTunes store for people who think the sidebar takes up too much room, and the ability to access previews from anywhere in the store instead of having to drill down through many pages. Read More
SanDisk slot in the release of the Sansa Clip+ MP3 player
By Mick Webb
19:48 September 6, 2009 PDT
Hot on the heels of the recently released slotRadio player is the latest addition to SanDisk's ever-expanding family of personal music players, the Sansa Clip+. An update of the popular Sansa Clip, the unit boasts the inclusion of a microSD card slot, offering not only memory-expanding capabilities but compatibility with SanDisk's pre-loaded offerings. Read More
ION Audio's entry-level digital DJ controller: the Discover DJ
By Tim Hanlon
07:19 September 5, 2009 PDT
The democratization of music is something Gizmag has been watching for some time. Just this year, we've seen software that teaches you to play guitar, drums and the piano (and you can check our music category for much more). Today at IFA 2009, we came across ION Audio's Discover DJ controller, a USD$99 product which turns any PC or Mac into a digital DJ setup. Read More
Sonos Controller CR200 gets touchy-feely
By Paul Ridden
22:46 September 4, 2009 PDT
The Sonos Controller has just undergone a makeover. Like the CR100 before it, the new controller will allow you to effortlessly manage music throughout your home but instead of controlling the action using a scroll wheel and buttons, the new Sonos CR200 now has a 3.5in capacitive touchscreen, full-color VGA 640 x 480 LCD display with LED backlighting. Read More
Altec Lansing MIX - digital boombox with multi music input
By Jeff Salton
21:48 September 3, 2009 PDT
Get one of these and become the life of the party, that seems to be the message from Altec Lansing with the launch of its new MIX (iMT800) digital boombox for party-goers and ‘unofficial DJ’s’. The MIX lets users connect three music players at once through its inputs – a 30-pin dock connector for the iPhone and iPod and also two front-facing 3.5mm jacks. No more plugging and unplugging devices during songs or arguments over whose music is on next. The unit has a built-in subwoofer, a seven-band graphic equalizer, FM radio and heavy-duty carry handles to enable you to take the MIX from party to party. There’s also a remote control with clip-on carabiner. Read More
Incentivizing the masses - free music drives phone usage
By Paul Lester
14:44 August 30, 2009 PDT
Ever since services like the original Napster brought free (albeit illegal) music downloads to the world, the music industry has been quick to point the finger at pirates but slow to realize that digital content is clearly the way forwards. Since then, download services such as iTunes and streaming services like Spotify have introduced new business models to the masses and Orange is the latest to come up with an innovative new way to listen to tunes on the move. Read More
Let Concert Hands teach you to play piano
By Paul Ridden
18:56 August 25, 2009 PDT
Have you ever dreamed of playing piano but the thought of committing yourself to years of grueling lessons fills you with dread? Then you just might be interested in the Concert Hands system, where your hands are gently guided back and forth along a track positioned just in front of the keys, and pulses prompt your fingers as each note is displayed on a screen in front of you. According to the developers, the technology will have you playing fluently in a few short days. Read More
Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones
By Tim LeFevre
00:08 August 24, 2009 PDT
After more than 30 years of continual research into noise reduction technology, Bose has released the QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Canceling headphones. Further engineering advancements in active and passive noise reduction technologies have ensured the QC 15 headphones offer more attenuation of unwanted noise in louder environments, across a wider range of frequencies. Read More
SanDisk slotRadio – a thousand songs for 10¢ each, player included
19:22 August 18, 2009 PDT
As flash memory card capacity increases exponentially and prices fall equally fast, manufacturers are looking for new ways to innovate. SanDisk, one of the world’s biggest makers of memory products, has partnered with the Billboard charts in order to compete with music players like the iPod. The SanDisk slotRadio is a small, stylish player that comes bundled with a micro SD flash card pre-loaded with 1000 chart-topping songs for just USD$99.99. It’s certainly great value, but the big drawback is the music won’t play on anything else. Read More
Pioneer gives DJs more mixing control with five-in-one DJM-5000
By Tim LeFevre
17:18 August 12, 2009 PDT
Pioneer Electronics is a name synonymous with innovation in the DJ industry. The company's latest offering is no exception, the DJM-5000 – an audio mixer designed specifically for the growing number of mobile DJ’s and entertainers. It incorporates five products into one neat package; an audio interface, MIDI controller, microphone effecter, audio processor and second zone mixer, which gives users much greater control over their performances and cuts back on the amount of gear they need to carry around as their requirements grow and change. Read More
In a twirl with the Chukka Kinetic Music Player
By Paul Ridden
06:09 August 11, 2009 PDT
Listening to music became a truly personal experience when Sony first introduced the Walkman all those years ago. Technological advances since then have seen music players store more songs, become more compact and include color screens - and now they're even beginning to liberate themselves from the shackles of the battery. To achieve its battery free charge, the Chukka Kinetic Music Player combines electromagnetic induction with a unique design that positively encourages the user to twirl it around the fingers, throw it about and otherwise toy with it. The result - an eco-friendly personal media player that also gives you the recognized stress relieving benefits of tactile interaction and repetitive physical motion. Read More
Terotech
- November 21, 2009 @ 19:38 UTC
